The Other Aurion
by Kratos Aurion Love
Summary: Anna gives birth to twins, one boy, Lloyd and one girl. Kratos believes his life is perfect, but that horrible night, he must do something he never expected. Rated for chapters to come. chp. 5 up. R
1. Naming

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from ToS, all characters, ect, belong to Namco. Aside from Emiko. She is of my own creation.**

_A/N: Okay, so I've been toying with the idea for this for a very long time, and finally got it out in typed format. I know it's short, but hopefully the chapters will get longer. I may revise this later and make changes, it is late here and I'm sure I'll realize how bad this will be in the morning. But oh well. _

_The Other Aurion_

Kratos Aurion had never expected this. He had no idea when he met Anna that he would become a father, much less the father of two children at the same time. Now that didn't mean he wasn't happy, quite on the contrary, he was elated as he sat beside his wife, holding his newborn daughter. He simply had not been expecting twins eight months and twenty-six days ago when he and Anna had found out they were going to become parents. The auburn haired man felt a bit, well; dorky since he knew exactly how many days it had been since they were to be parents. He was shaken from his thoughts as Anna called him.

"Kratos, we need to give her a name." Anna smiled as her husband jerked from his thoughts and looked at her in confusion for a moment. That's right. The boy, Lloyd, they had already picked out a name for a boy. Well, it was better put that Anna had wanted him to be named Lloyd, and after a very long night, she was granted her wish. Looking down at his daughter, Kratos pondered on what to call her. What was a good name for a girl? Alice, Mary, Kate? No, none of those fit her. Once again, Anna intruded on Kratos' thoughts.

"I think her name should be up to you. She is, after all, you're daughter, and I got to name little Lloydie." The brunette beside him cooed to her son, causing the chubby swathed if a blanket to make a face both were sure was one of happiness.

"Are you implying that Lloyd is not my son?" Kratos asked, raising a playful eyebrow at his wife. Both chuckled and Anna carefully leaned up, pressing a kiss to his cheek, ever careful not to put her son in an awkward position.  
"He's your son as well, but I think you're going to have a heck of a time raising a girl. She'll be your biggest challenge." The brunette giggled as the Seraph gave her a huffy look.  
"I'll be able to take care of her fine, just you wait and see. I'll take care of them like a proper father would." He stated simply, though the twinkle in his eye ruined his attempt to look offended. Anna simply smiled.  
"I know you will." Kratos looked back at his daughter, staring at the small package. She fit in the nook of his one arm. She was the smallest thing he had ever held. Well, that wasn't true, but he didn't care. She was slightly smaller then Lloyd, just a pound or so lighter. The few times he had really concentrated when her eyes were open, he noticed they were the exact same color his were. What was he going to name her? Scanning through his vast, ancient mind like it were a library of sorts, he went through ever name he could think of. Lisa? Or perhaps she was a Melissa? But no, he didn't like any of those. And then he had it. It was the perfect name for his little girl.

"Emiko." He said confidently. Anna looked at him a little puzzled.

"Emiko?" she asked, looking to him for answers as Lloyd dozed in her arms.

"Yes, it's an old Mizuho word for smiling child…" Now he was a bit unsure. He once again felt silly and like he had picked something bad. This had become a common feeling since he met Anna. Though it was to be expected, his life had suddenly been filled with new experiences. Anna noticed his hesitance and smiled, reaching out and touching his cheek for a moment and then brushing her fingers lightly over Emiko's head.

"It's the perfect name for her. You are very sweet to give her such a name." she said, suppressing a giggle as the man before her bit back a flush. It satisfied him however, to know he was not wrong in his naming. It had been almost two millennia since he had had to name something. But Noishe didn't seem to hate his name. Perhaps he wasn't as bad at this as he thought? He shifted on the bed and dimmed the oil lamp next to him. Lying with the sleeping Emiko on his chest, he smiled at his spouse.

"You should get some rest, now that we've got two of them; we're both going to be up a lot." Of course it wasn't a problem for him, he only needed to sleep once or so a week, but he knew he wouldn't be much help with that during the nightly calls for whatever his children might need until they were weaned. Anna nodded and very carefully settled Lloyd between her and Kratos. Getting comfortable herself, she kissed Kratos sweetly.  
"Good night, love."

"Good night, my angel."

---------

It was not long before Lloyd was wailing between his parents, effectively waking his sister who began to whimper and sniffle with him. Both were roughly twenty months old now. Lloyd was beginning to grow in a shock of spiky, thick hair that was a perfect chocolate brown, just a shade or two darker then his mothers. He also shared his mothers molten brown eyes. And at twenty months, he was rather chubby. Kratos would have found it cute were it not his turn to get out of his nice warm spot on the bed and feed whoever needed feeding, change whoever needed changing and soothe whoever needed soothing. Emiko, unlike her brother, had not inherited much of her mother's traits so far. Her hair was a red that reminded her father of the reddest coals in the fire. Her eyes as well matched her father's more, being the deepest of maroons. Still chubby by nature, she was a bit smaller then her brother, and much, much easier to handle. The boy was eager, curious and spouted out his own language as often as possible. He put everything in his mouth and often craved the attention of his mother and father, always attempting to get their attention some how. But the girl, seemed quite content in herself. She spoke her dithering baby language on occasion, but not nearly as often as Lloyd. She was fairly independent in amusing herself, hardly ever pestering her parents for their attention. She was sufficient in keeping herself busy until her parents had time for her simply by observing the world around her. Her curiosity burned just as brightly as Lloyd's she simply preferred not to vocalize her questions. This is what Kratos thought of while he sat on the edge of the bed, feeding Lloyd at 1:47 AM, like clock-work every night. He supposed he had it alright though. Emiko slept through the night most nights now, and Lloyd was content with his post midnight snack and usually only woke his family if something else was disturbing him terribly. Once the boy in his lap was satisfied, Kratos set the bottle aside and lay back down with a slight yawn. Lloyd crawled back over to his spot on his mother's stomach and Kratos replaced his sniveling daughter back onto his bare chest. He smiled tiredly and ran his fingers up and down her back in a soothing manner.

"Shhh, my baby." He murmured softly, along with other calming words until the little girl was calm and asleep again. Yes, she defiantly was less work then Lloyd, but he loved his family dearly. Kratos knew nothing could ever make him as happy as this had. He was the father of two wonderful children and his wife was the most amazing woman he'd ever met. Yes, this was defiantly what he wanted. His family.

_A/N: Well, that's the first chapter. Please review, I feel I will definatly need the input. _

_~K.A.L_


	2. Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Tales of Symphonia. If I did, well, you'd know. Emiko is of my own creation and belongs to me.**

_The Other Aurion_

_Chapter two: Family_

"Mama~!" came the wailing voice of Anna's two and a half year old son.

"Yes Lloyd?" the patient woman asked, kneeling down to Lloyd, brushing away some of her long brown hair. She smiled kindly at the boy, who had obviously gotten bored of pestering his father to play with him while he worked.

"Mama, I help dinner?" the child pleaded, making his cutest face, his large brown eyes shinning in the light of the kitchen. Anna couldn't help but chuckle at his insistence to make adorable faces when asking for something. She swept the boy up into her arms and kissed his forehead.

"Of course Lloyd, why don't you help me stir the pot?" she offered, watching the chubby child's face light up with joy. He clapped his hands several times.

"Ya ya ya~! I stir pot!" he chirped, eagerly grabbing hold of the wooden spoon offered to him and with all his might, began to stir the thick stew that would be their dinner, happily chirping and enjoying his time with his mother. He preferred his mother over his father. The woman always made time for him, and spent her days playing with him and his sister. He enjoyed the attention and activity his mother provided. His father was fun to, sometimes. But now that Lloyd was getting older, he was beginning to understand a majority of his father's time was consumed by his 'work' He didn't understand though, why he couldn't work with his father. He always just seemed to be color on pages with those letters his mother was constantly trying to teach himself and his sister. After a few attempts at 'working' with his father though, Lloyd had found it was best not to try. Coloring on Daddy's pages led to Daddy becoming frustrated. And frustrated Daddy was not fun at all. So his stuck with his mother, she let him color with her. And cook with her! That was Lloyd's favorite part of dinner, helping to cook the meals if he was allowed. And it was usually Mama who cooked, and he loved spending time with Mama.

Meanwhile, while Anna and Lloyd were cooking, Kratos was sitting in his study, hunched over his desk in a bored fashion. His elbow rested on the wood, his hand upturned and supporting his cheek. He had been in this position for several hours now, the only time he moved other then writing was to push up his half circle glasses up when they slid to a precarious spot on the end of his nose. The pile of paper work he had been putting off the last week was waning, but he was determined to finish, so he could take the next week off. He had just come off a field mission with Yuan, trying to teach Tethe'alla's chosen the basics of swordsmanship. He was actually considering moving his family from his home town of Flanoir to Meltokio so he could come back every night. He would have to do some more research on that though. He wasn't sure if any one there could rat him out yet, and he was not going to take that chance. He was just beginning to work on his final page when he heard a distinct giggle. Lloyd did not giggle. If he found something humorous, he would let out a loud, robust laugh. No, that sound belonged to none other then his daughter. He was tempted to turn and look at her, to see what was causing such a reaction from his normally quiet child. But he did not. He summoned up the will power and continued his stare down with the page he was slowly writing on. Noishe was with Emiko, he wouldn't let anything happen to her. He was a third of the way finished with the page when he heard another giggle. This time, he had to suppress the urge to investigate and the urge to smile. Pursing his lips a bit, he continued with his work. Half done. Another giggle. Three fourths. More giggling. He was seven eighths done with the last paper when another fit of giggles from his daughter broke the relative silence in the room. It was too much. Emiko was usually such a quiet child. It was not common for her to make so much noise over something. Willingly bringing his eyes away from the white paper, marred with stains of black ink, he looked around the room for his daughter. He spotted her in the corner. There was a large plush chair there for Anna when she wanted to spend time with her husband while he worked. Noishe was sitting in front of it. Emiko sat atop his head. And much to her father's horror, she leaned back, rolling down the protozoan's back. She giggled the whole way down until she hit the overstuffed cushions of the chair. Kratos stood and crossed the length between his desk and the chair in five effortless strides. Noishe looked at his life long companion with mild interest, his icy blue eyes moving to watch the human offspring with much more enthusiasm. Kratos knelt down beside the chair and looked at his daughter, who at first smiled back. She noticed however, that his expression was not the happiest and began to worry she would be in trouble. Reaching over, the Seraphim ran his fingers gently through his daughter's auburn hair and smiled slightly at her.

"Do you like to play with Noishe?" He asked lightly, watching his daughter carefully. The girl didn't hesitate in her answer though. She grinned broadly and nodded.

"I love Noishe." She leaned forward to demonstrate her affection, wrapping her short arms as best she could around the purple, green and white being. She buried her face in his shaggy fur, still smiling at her father. He chuckled a bit, finding it comical as the little arms could barely encircle half the protozoan. That, and Noishe was trying in vain to lean his head far enough back to lick his new back attachment.

"But I didn't ask if you loved Noishe, I asked if you liked to play with him." The swordsman confirmed, gently prying his daughter away so Noishe wouldn't break his neck.

"So do you like to play with Noishe?" he repeated, sitting with the girl in his lap staring up at him. Slowly, she nodded.

"Yes." She said, smiling a little. Kratos smiled back at her and kissed her forehead. He could hear Lloyd calling them for dinner. He picked Emiko up and felt his heart soar as she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck. It had been two and a half years since they were born, and yet any sort of those little gestures of affection from his children still sent him into a spiral of happiness.

"Ready for dinner?" he asked, once again watching the girl nod.

"Yeah, I hungry." She affirmed, settling back down into her norm of less expression and curious observation. Kratos turned his field of vision up so he wouldn't run into anything as he carried his daughter to the dinner table, expecting the norm when he carried his daughter. She would hang onto him where ever she could reach and watch him carefully. But tonight, his little clone was full of surprises. He didn't even notice as the little finger reached ever so stealthily up. That is, until the appendage stabbed his cheek. He was just about to set Emiko down in her spot at the table when it occurred. Anna smiled a bit at the gesture and even Lloyd saw the amusement in it and began to laugh. Emiko cracked a smile, and repeated the action which caused her father such a bewildered look. Kratos looked down at his daughter, her finger still pressed into his skin. A small smirk formed and he plopped her down in her chair.

"Is daddy fun to poke?" he inquired the child who nodded vigorously and giggled in response.

"Well, maybe daddy ought to poke you in return?" he asked slyly.

"No~!" Emiko squealed, to late in her response as her father began to tickle her, causing her to squirm and wiggle as she laughed. Anna chuckled at the sight and smiled. She had been worried when she told Kratos she was pregnant, and even he seemed rather unsure, but seeing him adapt to the life of a loving father so effortlessly simply amazed her. She could watch him for hours while he played with their children. She loved the way his face lit up when either of them smiled or giggled or laughed, or anything did anything really. Even when they were getting in trouble, she knew he could barely hold back a smile. She was pulled from her thoughts however, as the scent of dinner wafted up to her nose. That's right; they would have to eat before it got cold. By now, Kratos had moved to tickle Lloyd when he began giggling over his sister's predicament. The young boy was giggling and laughing madly, pleading mercy from his father who only laughed with him. She smiled and tapped her ladle again the pot of stew.

"I don't care if you plan on it, but I need to feed our children, so would you kindly stop tickling them so I can get them to eat without them spraying stew all over the place?" she asked, looking at her husband with a small smile. Kratos' fingers ceased moving over Lloyd's sides and he looked up at Anna. He smiled a bit sheepishly and nodded, moving over to his seat, but not before planting a small kiss in Anna's hair. Anna chuckled a bit and returned the gesture on the way to her seat. Yes, this truly was the perfect family for her. They might be on the run sometimes, and Kratos still worked with Cruxis, but she was happy with her life.

_----------_

_A/N Well, that's chapter two. You can probably all guess that at some point, I'll get to that horrible scene. It's a bit slow right now, but one or two more chapters and it will pick up._

_~K.A.L_


	3. The Babysitter

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from ToS. Emiko is mine.**

_The Other Aurion_

_Chapter Three: The Babysitter_

"You owe me for this." Yuan scrutinized Kratos from behind his desk. They had been friends for the past four millennia but baby sitting? Sure, they remained civil with their opposing occupations, but baby sitting was a lot to ask. Kratos sighed from his spot standing behind where Anna sat with Emiko on her lap and Lloyd on his shoulders. He was thankful Yuan had accepted. He had been good with the twins the few times they had encountered each other, and he really had no other option right now. Moving to Meltokio was a large step for him, and he was not going to chance one or both of his children being out of his sight turning the process of moving in to their new home.

"I know Yuan; I cannot thank you enough for this." Kratos affirmed, bowing his head a bit. Botta stood next to Yuan beside his desk and seemed a bit amused. The swordsman paid no heed though, and instead took his son off his shoulders, shhing the three year-old as he protested.

"I wanna ride on daddy's shoulders!" Lloyd huffed as he was set beside his sister in the chair his mother had previously occupied.

"I know Lloyd, but Mommy and Daddy have to do some work. Can you wait here and play with Uncle Yuan and Botta?" Anna asked, kneeling down to comfort her saddened son. Lloyd sniffled a bit and slowly nodded to his mother.

"Okay…" he said reluctantly, earning a smile from his parents. Kratos ruffled his hair before kissing his head and repeating the action with Emiko.

"We'll be back soon, love you!" Anna said as Kratos started for the door to Yuan's office.

"Love you!" both Lloyd and Emiko called the former grinning at his parents. Emiko was busy having a staring contest with a disgruntled looking blue haired half-elf. Yuan sighed and tore his eyes away from the girl to look at Botta.

"What am I supposed to do with them?" he asked lowly, as if the children would melt him with laser vision should they hear he didn't know the first bit about how to care for them. Botta only chuckled and circled the desk.

"I'll take care of them for now, why don't you go find something they can play with?" the brunette male suggested. Botta had experience with children, having taken care of his younger sister a lot before he joined the Renegades. Yuan slowly nodded and rose from his desk. He didn't know if he'd be able to find anything. This was a massive anti-Cruxis organization. Not many kids came here. In fact, Yuan was fairly sure this was the first time any child had been inside his base. Botta chuckled a bit and knelt down in front of Emiko and Lloyd.

"How would you two like to go down to the cafeteria and see if we can find some cookies or something?" he asked, smiling as both little faces lit up with delight. Yes, treats such as cookies or ice cream were always the fastest way to win over a kid.

"Yeah! I wanna cookie!" Lloyd cheered, grinning at the man in front of him.

"Well, come one then, let's go get some." Botta said kindly. Emiko was a little less vocal about her approval of the suggestion, sticking for just agreeing quietly with her brother and when Botta turned to head out the door, she grasped tightly to his hand. Lloyd latched onto the other one, and soon, all three were on their way to the cafeteria. When they arrived, Botta lifted both kids into chairs before scurrying off to get a plate of lunch for himself and cookies for Lloyd and Emiko.

It was no more then fifteen minutes when the trio arrived back in Yuan's office only to find a grumpy Renegade leader.

"Sir?" Botta asked, raising an eyebrow at his annoyed superior.

"Why did I agree to this Botta? Children should not be running around here. Everything we have here is dangerous to a child!" the blue haired male hissed, glaring at his second in command as if it were his fault he had agreed. Botta smiled and came around Yuan's desk, grabbing a couple pages of paper and some writing tools.

"Sir, most kids this age are pretty content just to play together." He said, going back to where Lloyd was helping his sister climb up into a chair in front of Yuan's desk.

"Hey, how would you two like to color?" he asked, setting down the paper and pens. Lloyd beamed happily and grabbed a pen and was soon shakily scribbling what he thought was his name on the paper. Emiko on the other hand, settled for sitting beside her brother and watching him with mild interest. It only took a few moments for Lloyd to notice his sister wasn't joining him.

"Emi! Lemme see you hand!" he insisted. Emiko looked up and smiled.

"Okay, Lloyd!" she chirped, holding her hand out to him. Lloyd took the hand offered to him and placed it gently on the paper. He took up the pen once more, and holding Emiko's hand in place, began sloppily tracing the hand print. Once he was finished, he grinned, holding up the paper for his sibling to see.

"See? That's you hand!" the little brunette said contently. His smile broadened when he saw Emiko smile brightly and felt her hug him.

"Lemme try!" Emiko said softly once she released her brother from her tiny embrace.

"Okay!" Lloyd agreed, taking up another sheet of paper, handing the pen to his sister and lying his hand down on the paper. The tracing hands only lasted for a few minutes before the two toddlers were demanding that Botta and Yuan let them trace their hands. And not long after that, hands turned into turkeys as the wizened half-elves showed them the little trick.

---------

It was nearly four hours later when Anna and Kratos arrived back at Yuan's office, and when the husband and wife stepped through the door, they were surprised at what they saw. A large sheet of paper lay on the ground with what they assumed was Botta's body outline. Said half-elf was sitting in a chair with Emiko and Lloyd sitting on his lap quietly telling them a story. Yuan on the other hand was snoozing in his chair; worn out from a day was amusing toddlers. Botta glanced up and offered a small smile to the couple and once they were close enough he lifted Emiko into Anna's arms and Lloyd into Kratos' Both children immediately went about showing their parents with affection, explaining to them the wonderful time they had with uncles Yuan and Botta. Botta stood up and straightened his shirt some.

"Thank you for watching them. Please pass that on to Yuan as well when he wakes." Kratos said, smiling a bit before bidding the Renegade good-bye and carrying Lloyd out of the room, Anna and Emiko just behind him.

"I would never have expected Yuan to be so worn out from watching them." Anna said softly, watching her husband smirk a bit.

"He isn't exactly high energy. I wouldn't have left them here if Botta wasn't around. He's got a younger sibling." The Seraphim explained, planting a soft kiss upon Lloyd's head.

"Now, how would you to like to go see your new home?"

_A/N: Well, chapter three up! I hope y'all like it, I may change it in a couple days, I'm not fond of how it flows, though the details will not be imperitive to the overall plot if I do change it._


	4. New Home

_The Other Aurion_

_Chapter Four: New Home_

Lloyd sighed softly, kicking his legs as he sat on a large plush couch. They had moved from their home in Flanoir to a place Daddy called Meltokio. He wasn't sure if he liked this place. It was warmer then their old home, but it was also much busier. There were lots of lights, sounds and he couldn't go anywhere but in the back yard. And most of the time he couldn't go there because Daddy and that boy that lived with them were always out there playing with swords. He didn't understand what his parents meant when they said he could get hurt. Daddy would never hurt him and that boy seemed pretty nice.

Sliding off the couch, Lloyd peered out of the archway that lead into the living room only to see Uncle Yuan tromping in from the back yard grumbling. His hand was covering his stomach and he looked quite cross. His hand was glowing a little and some of the redness Lloyd could see was going away. The four year old boy shuffled out and stood in front of the half-elf.

"Uncle Yuan, what happened?" he asked curiously, staring up at the man. Yuan blinked and split his attention between healing himself and looking at Lloyd. He smiled and knelt down, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Uncle Yuan got hurt teaching Zelos how to use magic. I got hit in the stomach with a fireball." He explained, smiling at Lloyd. He had grown rather fond of Kratos' children the last few months. He saw them more and more these days, what with the Aurion family living with Zelos now. Lloyd looked horrified, trying to pry Yuan's hand away.

"You gotta go see Mommy! Mommy always fixes when I'm hurt!" the child insisted, trying to tug Yuan away from the hallway and into the kitchen. Yuan chuckled and shook his head.

"No, Lloyd, its okay." Yuan assured, gently tugging his hand away from the boy and putting it back against his stomach, murmuring the incantation for First Aid. Lloyd stared on, frowning in a confused manner.

"Lloyd, do you see my hand glowing?" he asked, looking down as the boy nodded.

"Lloyd, you know I'm a half-elf, right?" he asked, seeing the same nod as before.

"Well, half-elves are different then humans. We can use magic. Even though I got hurt, I can use my magic to help myself." he said, smiling at the boy. Lloyd frowned and nodded slowly.

"But what about Daddy? Is he a half-elf too? He can use magic." He said, puzzling over the predicament of his father using magic. Yuan chuckled and shook his head.

"No, your father isn't a half-elf, he's a human like you. But he's a very special human. He's very strong and very smart, and he learned how to use magic even though it's very, very hard." The blunette explained, ruffling Lloyd's hair.

"I have to go now Lloyd, I will see you soon." He said, expecting the glomp when the boy latched onto him. It had become a habit of Lloyd's to hug everyone when they came or went. He chuckled and returned the hug with one arm before getting up.

"Good bye Lloyd."

"Bye Bye Uncle Yuan!" Lloyd grinned, waving the man away. Once Yuan was out of sight and out the door, Lloyd turned to look at the back door. He stared out for a while before gathering up his courage. He strode to the door and pushed it open. He was momentarily blinded by the brightness of the hot summer afternoon. His vision soon cleared and he saw Zelos leaning on his knees and glaring up at his father.

"You didn't have to be so rough you know!" he yelled, looking irately at Kratos. The elder male simply grunted and sheathed his sword. "If I am not hard on you, you will never learn to defend yourself, Zelos. I'm doing this for your own good. You don't want to get killed do you?" he said bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest. He stared down at the young man before sighing and motioning for him to go inside.

"We're done for today. If you don't shape up soon Zelos, there are going to be consequences." he warned the ten year old who stuck his tongue out at him.

"Shut up! It's not like you're my dad or anything, you can't tell me what to do!" he snapped, throwing aside his wooden sword and storming inside, barely sparing Lloyd a glance.

Lloyd gulped and looked timidly after Zelos before returning his eyes to Kratos. Wait. He was closer than before. Kratos knelt down and smiled at his son. "Hello Lloyd." He said happily, his tone and mood changing drastically form what it had been previously. Lloyd shifted nervously and looked back into the house before glancing back to his father.

"Daddy, how come you and Zelos always fight?" he asked, staring up at his father with his large brown eyes.

"I'm trying to teach Zelos how to use a sword so he can defend himself." Kratos explained, raising an eyebrow.

"I've told you that before Lloyd." he said, smiling. Lloyd always asked about something he already knew if he was nervous about asking a new question.

"Is there something else you wanted to ask me?" he asked kindly, sitting down beside his son. He watched Lloyd fidget for a moment before he scooped the boy up and plopped him on his lap.

"Lloyd, you know you can ask me about anything, right?" he asked softly, worried now about his son's hesitance about speaking to him. Lloyd nodded and cuddled into his father's chest.

"Daddy, Uncle Yuan said you was special." he said slowly, looking up at the auburn haired man who held him.

"And he also said you could do magic like he could, even though you was human." He continued on, looking away and out towards the lawn.

"Am I special like you Daddy?" the young boy asked uncertainly, swinging his legs. Kratos chuckled and leaned down, planting a kiss to Lloyd's head.

"Lloyd, you are much more special then I am." he answered, smiling at his boy.

"Lloyd, you are the most special thing to me. You and your sister and your mother mean more then the world to me. You are going to be ten times the man I am." he murmured, placing a hand on the boy's stomach to keep him up while he examined a bug on the ground.

"But I mean can I be special and use magic too?" Lloyd asked, uninterested in the beetle crawling in the cracks in the tile patio. Kratos pondered a moment and frowned.

"No, you won't be able to use magic like me, and that's a good thing. Daddy had to do bad things to be able to learn magic." he said softly, turning his gaze from Lloyd to the sky.

"No Lloyd, I'm not going to let you do bad things. You want to be a good boy right?" he asked, looking back down at his son now. Lloyd nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, because daddy is a good boy too! I want to be just like Daddy and be big and strong when I grow up!" he exclaimed, grinning up at his father. Kratos smiled sadly. Lloyd was so innocent. He had no idea of the horrible crimes he'd committed, the awful sins he bore because of his mistakes. No, if Lloyd wanted to be a good man when he grew older he wouldn't strive to be like him he thought. He shook those thoughts away however. Anna would be upset with him if he thought that way. He had a family to take care of and he didn't have time to dwell on those thoughts. He smiled at Lloyd and ruffled his hair.

"Well, if you want to be a good boy you mustn't try and learn magic, do you understand?" he said kindly. Lloyd nodded and Kratos smiled. He nudged the boy off his lap and stood up, opening the door. "Why don't you go find Zelos or Emiko and go play?" he suggested, waiting for his son to toddle inside before following him inside and shutting the door. He chuckled and watched Lloyd run into the living room after his sister as he saw the girl disappear into said room. He wore a tired but content smile into the kitchen, satisfied with his family. Things could not get much better then this.

The first thing Lloyd noticed when he was awoken was his mother shaking him. "Uh…?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"Lloyd, I need you to listen to me. We have to leave here." She said urgently, jerking the boy's jacket on, dressing him while he yawned.

"Why?" he asked tiredly, confused and sleepy.

"I cannot tell you right now. Lloyd you have to be quiet do you understand me? You have to be silent and do exactly as Daddy and I tell you." She said firmly. Lloyd nodded, wrapping his arms around his mother's neck as she picked him up.

"Okay mommy." He murmured tiredly.

"That means if I tell you to run you must run okay? Even if it seems scary and you don't want to, you have to do it, do you understand me?" Anna said sternly, looking at Lloyd. Lloyd nodded, frowning a little.

"I understand." He said, seeing his father doing the same to Emiko as his mother was doing to him, an angry and terrified look upon his face. That was when he began to understand. Something was wrong. Something was making Daddy scared and Daddy was never scared. The little boy wasn't sure what, but things in his life were changing forever.


	5. Tragedy

_Disclaimer: ToS is not mine, I do not own it, blah blah blah. Emiko is mine._

_The Other Aurion_

_Chapter five: Tragedy _

Lloyd clutched tightly to his mother as she carried him through the forest. It was dark. The sky was cloudy preventing the sun from breaking through and lighting the world despite that it was early morning. For the last three days, they had been on the run. Lloyd buried his head into Anna's neck, wanting to try and hide from the scary world. His mother had been carrying him, or if she needed a break he would ride on Noishe's back, but that never lasted for long. He really wanted to look up and ask his mother what was going on, why were they not at home? But every time he tried to speak or even made noise, he was shushed by one of his parents. Both seemed to tense. It was starting to scare him. He hadn't seen much of his father, he was in front of them with Emiko in his arms. But the few moments he'd been able to see something other then the man's back, he had looked…Scary. Lloyd had never seen his mother so scared or his father so scary looking.

Something wet plopped upon his head and he looked up. He wrinkled his nose as wet stuff splattered there as well. Right…This was rain. It was raining on them. His lip trembled and his eyes began to water. For the last three days he'd eaten only plain food, he'd been forced to be quiet, he couldn't even play with Emiko. They just had to sit quietly huddled together. And he'd had to wake up early this morning. He felt so much like breaking down and crying. He just wanted to bawl. But fear of being scolded again, he simply let the tears drip down his chubby cheeks, mixing with the rain. Soon, fat drops were pelting them all as hard as they could, as if trying to make the three year old boy even more miserable. He sniffled a little and clutched tighter at his mother's shirt.

Anna looked down at her son as it began to rain and smiled sadly. She knew both her children were terrified right now, just as Kratos did. She simply hopped her spouse would be able to manage escaping the group pursuing them while he was with his family. She knew he would be able to manage if it were just him or just himself and her, but with children, the situation was much different. Slowly, she began to stroke Lloyd's back, attempting to calm him. His tears might be masked by the rain, but she knew her son was crying. She could not help but try and soothe him as best she could at the moment. It broke her heart to have her children in such a situation, she had earnestly hoped their days of fleeing were over, but it appeared fate was not on their side now.

Emiko on the other hand, was much calmer then Lloyd with the most recent development in their life. She shared her brother's fear, and it was obvious, but she did not share his need to be so vocal about her fears and discomfort. She never had been as vocal as her brother though. She preferred to stay quiet. She felt safe in her father's arms even if he did seem tense and was being rougher then usual. His arms were safe. Whenever they stopped, she was plopped down beside Lloyd while her father stood at the edge of their circle of light provided by the meager camp fires. She had no idea of his angelic senses, no idea his vision was sharp in the dark and his hearing impeccable, but just knowing he was watching out for the bad men chasing them made her feel better. Noishe often prowled around them all as well, assisting his master in his nightly watches, hoping to ease him slightly.

Slowly, Emiko shifted in her father's arms, resting her little chin on his shoulder and looking back at her mother and brother. She noticed Lloyd was shaking. The sight brought a frown to her young features. Lloyd was upset again. He had been rather shaken and fragile since their departure from the red haired boy's house. Lloyd's distress upset her slightly. She did not want her brother to be upset and flustered. She knew he grew bored while they sat by their mother at night until it was time to sleep, but these days he was much more agitated. She turned her head to look at her father, though she didn't get much of a view. His hair was covering the left side of his face which happened to be the shoulder she was pressed against by his arm. She could see his taught cheeks and his lips were pressed into a thin line. He only did that when he was loosing his grip. Satisfied she knew what was going on, she cuddled into him a little and closed her eyes.

Kratos spared a quick glance at his daughter when she cuddled against his shoulder. He did not spare a smile like his wife did for his son, not wanting to divert his attention any more then he had to when checking to see she was safe. He quickly turned his attention back to his path through the brush of Iselia Forest. He knew it was dangerous coming so near the human ranch, especially the one Forcystus ruled over, but if they could just manage to get past this area, they would be safe for a while. He had caught glimpses of those pursuing them during his patrols at night, and he knew it was Kvar chasing them. He set his jaw more firmly as he mulled over that thought. Kvar. He was no doubt after Anna, but for the last two hundred years the man had been in charge of a ranch, he had only rubbed Kratos the wrong way. He was cold, ruthless. He would probably kill them all if he got the chance. He wouldn't put it past the man to just rip Anna's exsphere out and let her turn into a monster. But he wasn't going to let that happen, he was going to protect them all. He would keep his family from that awful fate. If he could get them into a remote enough place…If he could just get them away, they would be safe. He just had to keep them out of the reach of Cruxis long enough and they would be fine. Mithos was persistent, but he was not taking into account Kratos' determination and ferocity. He was not going to let his family down.

They were arriving in the clearing when Kratos noticed something was amiss. It was much to quiet for a forest. Normally, even when humans were intruding, the birds would flap away, squirrels would chatter at the intrusion and things would rustle. But right now…There was no sound. He frowned and came to halt. He turned to Anna and wordlessly handed her Emiko as well. He stared into the woman's eyes for a moment, knowing she knew what he intended. He leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to her lips before turning on his heel and stalking forwards. His sword was draw and his body was tense, his muscles coiled tightly under his skin, ready to spring into action at the first indication of need to.

Kratos stepped away from his family, his heightened senses in over drive. His ears were straining for any sound that could give him a clue as to why he was so uneasy, his eyes scanning every inch of his field of vision to see if something was out of place. He crept forward, caution betrayed in his movements. As he got closer to the fork in the path that lead to the Human Ranch, he shied away form it slightly, as if the area were covered in an invisible miasma that would burn his flesh. He continued past it, and moved forward, trying to figure out what had him on edge. He didn't want to get close to the ranch. He knew they had to pass it, but the feeling in his gut was telling him it would be unavoidable. He had no idea how right he was. As he continued to stray away from his family, Noishe let out a howl. He froze and turned his head to look at the creature.

Noishe was standing behind Anna and the children, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end and he was growling. Desian troops dressed in blue were advancing on them through the forest. Kratos cursed under his breath, motioning violently for Anna to hurry up and join him. But when he turned his head, something even worse met his eyes. Troops were blocking their path forward as well, Kvar at the front, grinning at them. Growling, he tugged Flamberge out of his belt. "Left!" he barked to his family. If he remembered correctly, there was a cliff near the ranch. He could fly them down and they could head around the other direction. It was risky, but it was better then trying to fight this number of enemies. If it were just him, he would have a chance, he could just fly away even, but he couldn't bear doing that to his family. Anna was not a good fighter and having to look out for two toddlers…He couldn't pull that off.

He dashed off after his wife when he saw her out of the corner of his eye heading for the ranch. He knew it was a last resort move, getting so close to where Kvar would have reinforcements, but this was his last resort. Those giant electrified walls and the gate came into view shortly. Thank god Forcystus didn't seem to know what was going on; he hadn't even more then three guards in the yard. He grit his teeth, glancing back over his shoulder. Damn, they were close. He concentrated for a moment. He didn't have enough time to fly them all down without sacrificing one of them. He was not going to do that. They were already to close for him to cast a spell as well. "Stay back." He called to Anna; not wanting her to try and give help that would only hinder him. For the last several thousand years, he had fought alone. He did not want his family to have to see him like this…But he would slaughter all of these men if it was to save his wife and children.

The wayward Seraphim widened his stance and gripped the hilt of his blade with both hands, bracing himself for the attack. He was somewhat glad he hadn't had time to grab his shield. The extra weight on his arm would only hinder him. He could use more devastating attack wielding his blade with both hands instead of one. He took one more moment to brace himself before silently dashing forward to meet his foes.

Kratos was quickly surrounded by the mass of Desians, cutting down his targets. He had received a number of wounds himself, but nothing too to devastating. He was able to cast a quick First Aid every now and then to keep himself going. Blood dripped from his current wounds, but it was the minority of the blood on his body. He had quickly been drenched in the blood of the half-elves he was slaying. He incorporated several other techniques to maximize his casualties whilst he fought. His attention was soon dragged away however; there was a lull, which was strange. He positioned himself to glance at Anna and his eyes widened in horror. Kvar was advancing on his family, a sadistic grin on his face. Anna was attempting to fight him off. Noishe had the children on his back, both were clutching tightly to the creature. He grit his teeth again and broke out of the mass he was in, sprinting for the sleek headed blonde. He'd backed Anna into a corner by the time he was close enough. His mind moved frantically. He couldn't let her take that exsphere out. She would turn into a monster if he did, she hadn't a crest. Damn! If only he'd taken the time to get her a crest made. He had been too cocky, thinking it couldwould wait until they were safe again.

"Demon fang!" the words came out snarled as soon as he was in range. He could see that bastard reaching for Anna's chest, where the gem resided. A glimmer of hope showed in his eyes. The attack caught the man in the leg! Perhaps he would be able to get them out of this yet. He slowed however as he started at his wife. Kvar was on the ground, but he was grinning. There was a small indentation in her chest…She was doubled over. Kvar had the gem. _'No…No this can't… I cannot let this happen.'_ He thought, willing his legs to move faster. He could fix this! He had to fix this. He was moving for Kvar when he was knocked back by something a sickly green color. Had he just been…Clothes lined? He grunted, scrambling up from his position on his back to see just what had done that to him. Anna was no longer present. In her place was a grotesque monster.

Kratos sat, tears building in his eyes. His wife, she had become this monster. He could have prevented this if he was more careful! He gripped his blade and stood, staring at his wife. This monster. But now her back was facing him.

"Anna!" he called, but it was no use. She wasn't listening to him.

"Anna! Please Anna!" Still no effect. To make matters worse for Kratos, she was heading for Emiko, Noishe and Lloyd. He managed to take a shaky breath, glancing around a moment to take in his surroundings again. This…This was very bad. Kvar was getting up from the attack on his leg, a few of his perfectly plastered hairs hanging in his face. Kratos wanted nothing more then to murder the man, but his children were in danger. It broke his heart, but Anna was obviously not herself, she would kill them if he didn't intervene. He moved forward, halfway between Anna and the children. He grit his teeth, and tightened his grip on his blade.

"Anna you must stop!" he yelled, hoping he could get through to his wife. Surely she wouldn't harm their children? She didn't slow. She was getting to close for his comfort to keep Emiko and Lloyd safe. He shut his eyes tightly and went for a horizontal slash, feeling it connect with flesh. The creature howled in pain and dropped to its knees. Kratos opened in his, tears welled, held back only by the fact that he wasn't blinking. He stared down at the monster that was his wife. Perhaps she was calming? He was right when he heard Anna's distorted voice.

"Kratos, Kratos please, kill me." She moaned, cringing, and Kratos thought he knew why. But…He just couldn't. He could not kill his wife, even in this twisted form. He had killed Kvar's men because they threatened him. They threatened his life and his family. He had been made angry by them, he could kill them easily. But Anna…He could not kill her.

"Anna, I will not kill you, we will find a way." He insisted, frowning up at the beastly form.

"Kratos, we cannot change this! Please! I tried to hurt Lloyd and Emiko. Please Kratos, kill me!" Kratos thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"I can't!"

"Kratos! Please, before I end up hurting one of you!"

"Anna, I cannot kill you!" he yelled, frustrated. He was too late. She had lost herself once more. She began advancing again, swinging her bulky arm at him. He ducked under and began backing up at a diagonal, trying to keep them away from the cliff. But to his dismay, the Desians had formed a sort of semi-circle around them, and forcing him and Anna to end up parallel with the the cliff edge he'd been planning to fly them down. She swung her arm again and he ducked like he had before. He heard a yelp and jerked his head to the side, Noishe was bleeding and Emiko had fallen off his back, she was sitting on the ground, crying. He was quickly brought back to his beast of a spouse however as she lunged for him. Out of instinct, he thrust his blade upwards and into her chest. He shut his eyes tightly, knowing what he had done. He let out a choked sob as he felt hot blood splash over his front. The stench was ghastly, he felt like he would vomit. Being covered in the sticky stuff was just as sickening. It was like glue.

Anna's deformed body let out a strangled cry. Lloyd and Emiko were both crying, Kvar was shouting out orders and he could see one of those Desians going for Emiko. His head spun, everything was spinning. What was he supposed to do? There was to much for him to do and not enough of him to go around. This was all his fault, if only he'd been smarter. He could feel his insides numbing. He saw the grinning Desian getting closer to his daughter. He snarled and lunged for the man, and with a might swipe from his blade, cleaved his helmet and his head in half. He scooped his fussing daughter into his arms and turned to look at Noishe and Lloyd, wanting to check where they were and that they were alright. And to his horror, they were not alright. Lloyd was screaming at the top of his lungs. They were falling off the cliff, Lloyd clinging to Noishe's back, Noishe scrambling to try and get back up and Anna tumbling down the cliff side, jerking the whining Noishe and the bawling Lloyd with her.

"No!" He scrambled forward, lunging halfway over the cliff to try and clutch at anything. He lay there, arm outstretched looking down through the dust as they disappeared. They were gone.

He had dropped Emiko in his mad lunge for the edge; she was now sitting near his feet whimpering. He could hear the Desians beginning to leave. They were not going to get away. Not without punishment. He straightened and began growling under his breath. A few moments later, he cast his arm out and screamed.

"Judgment!" He watched as the beams of light struck many of the running futilely only to be incinerated with screams of agony. He took a sort of pleasure in the cries of those hit. They had ruined his life. He wanted to make them pay. They deserved this. He would kill every single one of them one day for what they did to him. The cries of his daughter soon made him forget his blood lust however. He looked down at her as if she were a foreign object. And just as quickly as the thought crossed his mind, he remembered his fatherly instincts. He picked her up and pulled out his sapphire wings. He lifted into the air, and descended the cliff.

After setting Emiko down, he began to search through the bodies. Many Desian corpses littered the ground, as well as the stinking corpse of Anna. He searched frantically for hours, checking and double checking every place Lloyd might be. It began to rain after a while. He was sitting slumped on his knees, holding a little red shoe…It was all he found of Lloyd. Slowly, he began to sob, clutching at the shoe, his body shaking in agony. They were gone. Anna and Lloyd, and Noishe as well, they had not survived. This was completely, fully, entirely his fault.

Emiko sat where she had been placed, just as her father had told her, watching him. She had stopped crying by now and was glad the rain was washing off the red substance on her body. It stained her hair even darker red and stunk horribly. It looked like what she had been told was blood when she cut her finger…But there was a lot more of it now, and none of it was coming from her body. Soon, she noticed a shadow looming of her body. She looked up and was relieved to see a familiar face. Uncle Yuan. He leaned down and picked her up. He did not speak; he looked just as stony as her father had the last few days. She looked around and saw strange human like creatures with wings gathering around her father. She frowned, but before she had time to react, her vision went black. When she could see again, they were somewhere she couldn't tell if she recognized or not.

**A/N: Well, there's chapter five. It took me forever to finish, I deleted it twice to start over. I'm still not really sure if I'm happy with it, but my Beta said I shouldn't change anything so I'm going to go with her and just hope I haven't slaughtered this scene as much as I think I have. xD Enough of my gloomy ranting, hope you enjoyed it and I should have another update within the month!**


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